When it comes to foreseeing the future demand for parks...

When it comes to foreseeing the future demand for parks and recreational activities, southwest Broward leaders have 2020 vision.

The year 2020, that is.

That`s when southwest Broward County is expected to reach its projected buildout with a population of 569,000. To prepare for the continuous growth, parks and recreation leaders from throughout the county are sharing ideas to meet the needs of their ever-growing number of residents.

The ideas will be shared through the 2020 Vision Task Force, a newly formed group of parks and recreation experts from all of Broward.

Among the group`s representatives are Davie`s Community Service Director, Sharon Kent, and Cooper City`s Parks and Recreation Director, Ken Richardson. Both said they they hope to improve their own departments while sharing ideas and information with other leaders in the county.

Today, residents of southwest Broward can use 30 parks, six public tennis courts, 11 golf courses and four bowling alleys. But as the population increases, so will the number of recreational and entertainment facilities.

The goal of the task force is to create a higher quality of life for each Broward resident and prepare for the year 2020 when Broward`s population is projected to reach 2 million.

To do so, the leaders hope to share plans and projects, and turn Broward County recreational programs into models for other counties. The group will study park and recreational standards within the county and compare it with national programs.

The task force, which has met once, is scheduled to meet this spring. At that time, members will discuss specific goals and share ongoing projects.

``We want the state to learn from our efforts,`` Kent said. ``Many cities on the east are land-locked since there isn`t much open space. We want to encourage these cities to look for new innovative ways for improvements.``

``We have to provide facilities that people desire,`` Kent said. ``It`s for growth. It is for the quality of life.``

Like the other cities, Kent said, Davie requires developers to donate land for park and recreational facilities or pay fees. To date, there are 12 parks in town. Two more have been proposed.

Plans also are under way for the town`s first multi-purpose center, which is scheduled to be built within five years on a 20-acre site. The center, to be surrounded by a lake, would include a baseball and softball field, a playground, jogging course, football and soccer field, tennis courts and a concession stand.

Cooper City`s plans are different. The city already has built a community center, which opened a year ago, and is the site of 65 programs for children and adults.

``Four years ago, we had nothing but a little department in a double-wide trailer,`` Richardson said. ``There was one park.``

Now, nine parks are located in Cooper City today and three more are in the planning stages.

``We want to have green space there before the city is built out and people are screaming for parks,`` Richardson said.

In Pembroke Pines, the new Walter Seth Kipnis Youth Center, a recreation facility for teen-agers, is scheduled to open soon.

The number of parks in Pembroke Pines has increased from five to 13 in 12 years, said Acting Parks and Recreation Director Joe Scopa. And that figure will continue to grow as development moves into the city, he said.

``We are waiting until sections become developed and then we will surely be in there with recreation,`` Scopa said.

Miramar Recreation Director Marge Hurley said the city has seen tremendous recreational growth since the city was incorporated in 1955.

Then, Hurley said, recreation meant going for a walk and watching cows. There was no organized recreation, other than Friday night teen dances.

Within five years, however, classes were offered all day long from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Today, with more working mothers, most recreational programs have moved to the evening hours, she said.

``Recreation is trendy,`` Hurley said ``For a time, stained glass, disco and belly dancing classes were popular. Not today. They want jazz aerobics. Everybody seems to be health minded.``

``We will produce facilities and programming as needs increase,`` she said.